by Kate Hill
“Wise guy,” Jimmie muttered. “I hate wise guys.”
“We know you’re a warlock.” Paul pointed at Matthew. “Geneva said so. She sensed it, and Geneva’s never wrong. Everyone knows there’s no such thing as a warlock who has trouble with telepathy.”
“I guess I’m a freak in more ways than one.”
“I know when I’ve had enough.” Gareth collected the cards and handed them to Jimmie, who slipped them into his pocket.
“As if you need all the money you won from us.” Paul snarled at Matthew.
“We’re all in the same situation down here,” Gareth reminded them. “He isn’t living the life he once did.”
“I don’t think the whole fifty dollars will make a difference one way or the other.” Matthew tossed the money at Paul.
The young Asian jumped to his feet, his eyes gleaming with fury. He kicked the money back at Matthew. “I’m no charity case!”
“Then why comment about who needs the money more?”
“I don’t believe it.” Paul shook his head and walked away. “See you guys later.”
Jimmie shrugged as he collected the money and shoved it into the pocket of his stained trench coat. “I’m no fool. Matthew, if you ever want to practice telepathy, I’m no vampire, but I do have a gift. You’re okay.”
Matthew returned the old man’s smile and watched him shuffled away, Vick beside him.
Gareth shook his head. “Jimmie used to be one of New York’s best cops.”
“What happened to him?”
“One day on the beat, he got shot in the head. When he woke up, he had the gift of telepathy. Everyone thought he was crazy. He got suspended from the force, and his only brother disowned him. He began to think he was crazy himself. Almost drank himself to death. He’s been sober for three years. Paul met him, brought him to us. He just needed somebody to listen. No one wants to be completely alone and forgotten.”
“No,” Matthew said softly, “not at all.”
“So what do you think of our community?”
With a sigh, Matthew leaned back on his elbows and crossed his feet at the ankles. He didn’t speak.
“You don’t like us much, do you?”
“Most of you don’t like me. You don’t even know me, but you think you do.”
“Being accepted takes time, but I’m sure you already know that.”
“Yes. I know all about it.”
“I assume you don’t like to sleep much by day?”
“I don’t like to sleep much at all.”
“I’m curious to know your side of the story, Matthew,” Gareth said as the two stood and walked side by side down the corridor. “There’s a lot to you. You’re young to have developed such skill as a warlock, but you need much more practice. You’re untrained.”
“Such things really aren’t very important. I’ve dabbled in magic out of curiosity. Science and medicine are what matter most to me.”
“And the woman behind the ring you wear around your neck?” Gareth ventured. “I know you told us never to mention her.”
“I meant it.”
“Someday we might trust each other, Matthew. We all have secrets, but at times we need to confide.”
“You’re not like the others.”
Gareth sighed. “Many of them are young and have seen the rougher side of life. It’s not easy to claw your way out of the gutter, even for vampires.”
“Whoever said life is easy?”
“You judge others harshly, but I’m guessing you’re just as hard on yourself. You never would have become such a success in your chosen field if you weren’t diligent.”
“Doesn’t matter now, I guess.”
“There are many people in our community who can benefit from your skill. Of course you didn’t become a doctor to work for free, but we also don’t have to keep your whereabouts a secret. One hand washes the other.”
Matthew lifted an eyebrow and spoke in Gareth’s even tone of voice. “I’m guessing lawsuits don’t mean much to you and your community.”
Gareth laughed, exposing the tips of his fangs. “Does it matter much to you, Matthew? You’re already in deep. What’s one more tangle with the law?”
Matthew thought, I don’t know. Maybe nothing. However, more than legal matters bothered him. “No matter what you say, these people don’t want my help. They want nothing to do with me. Not that I care.”
“If you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“No, really. I don’t care,” Matthew stated. He always said what was on his mind.
Gareth smiled. “For such an intelligent man, you’ve spent a lot of time in denial, haven’t you?”
“Excuse me?” How could Gareth know so much about him? They’d just met, yet the hybrid’s perception was remarkable.
“You look fit.” Gareth’s gaze swept Matthew’s sleek body. “And you have decent fighting skill, though I notice you depend quite a bit on brute strength. You’re powerful, even for an Immaculate. Your brother has a reputation for being one of the most physically powerful Immaculates in existence, and you are, after all, his twin.”
“Adam is a gifted martial artist and very strong. He’s trained as a fighter and athlete practically since birth.”
“I see.” Gareth smiled. “He used brawn while you used brains.”
“Adam is very intelligent.”
“And you’re very strong. Maybe now is the time for you to get in touch with your wild side.”
“I’ve already been in touch with it.” Matthew remembered all the times he’d made love with Dulcie. If she couldn’t bring out a man’s wild side, then it didn’t exist at all.
Gareth stopped and moved aside a grate in the middle of one of the corridors. He glanced at Matthew. “Care for some training?”
Matthew looked into the darkness with interest and caution, remembering the last hole he’d fallen down and the creatures waiting there. “After you.”
Gareth dropped down the hole and Matthew followed.
They walked down a corridor that opened into a large room with craggy walls. This room was oddly quiet and drier than the rest of the damp underground. Three enormous metal cylinders stood to the far end of the room. Matthew noted dents in the metal, as if a hard object had struck it. Nearby, two heavy bags dangled from the concrete ceiling. Several weapons hung on a large slab of wood leaning against one wall—four rapiers, two sets of tonfas, six spears, two of which were tipped with platinum. Matthew recognized them only because he’d seen Adam and Vincent train with them. He’d handled some weapons himself during the fight against the First Father, but had little interest in such destructive tools.
“Platinum.” Matthew approached the spears. “That must have cost you.”
“They’re mine,” Gareth explained. “Been with me for years. Are you proficient with any of these?”
Matthew shook his head. “I don’t like violence, really.”
Gareth lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “That’s not what I sensed.”
“I prefer saving lives to taking them.”
“Just because it’s your preference doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy violence. Like it or not, it’s inside you.”
Matthew remained silent. He’d only killed once in his life, and when he thought about the taste of enemy blood, his heartbeat still quickened with desire. He’d hated the man he’d killed—another Immaculate, Dulcie’s cousin Wayne. Dulcie once had a sexual relationship with him, and Wayne hadn’t wanted to let go. He’d thought because Matthew possessed human traits he couldn’t protect his mate. Wayne had been wrong.
“For one so young, I sense you’ve had many experiences,” Gareth said. “Of course, you survived a confrontation with the First Father. He destroyed millions before you killed him.”
“My brother Adam—”
“Had help from you. And there was another Immaculate involved?”
“Yes.” Irritation crawled up Matthew’s spine. Vincent. Vincent, who was sta
tioned to protect Dulcie—in Matthew’s home. Dulcie, who enjoyed painting while naked…
“Well, now that we’re here, want to join me in a workout?”
“Yes,” Matthew said. “Exercise is good for frustration.”
Gareth glanced at him. “There’s a lot I can teach you about fighting. Down here, you’ll need it.”
“Why?”
“I told you we all pull our weight in this community. Those creatures you fought earlier have many companions. We’ve managed to keep them contained below, but it takes work. A few levels down, there’s a grate sealing the entrance to their domain. They keep breaking through. It’s our job to make sure they don’t escape. Can you imagine what would happen if they were let loose in the city?”
“No. I don’t want to think about it.”
“There are few of us with the strength and skill to guard that grate, so we take shifts. I do it, and there are five other hybrids and one Immaculate who trade off shifts. If we get desperate, there are groups of humans who can assist while armed with guns, but it’s very risky for them.”
“So you want me to fight those things?”
“Just hold them back, should they break through the grate. It’s difficult to make repairs because once they break through, it’s hard to get close enough to the entrance, though it can be done.”
“Why don’t you just kill them?”
“Do you think we haven’t tried? There are complications, the least of which is their power of regeneration is even greater than ours. And to answer your next question, even greater than yours—an Immaculate. At first, we thought piercing the heart with bullets—even made of silver and platinum—would kill them, but they kept coming back.”
“There must be a way to kill them.” Matthew’s tenacity surfaced. “There are no such things as supernatural beings. I’ve always known that. I was right.”
Gareth smiled. “You’ll add some new life to this place, Matthew. We’ll learn so much from you—and you from us.”
“I wish I could get some samples from one.” Matthew’s eyes narrowed, scarcely paying attention to anything Gareth had said. “Then I’d have to get them to a lab. I wonder how much research I can do down here? Probably zilch. Damn, this is annoying!”
“Well, if you can find a better means of fighting them, we would be grateful. But that brings us to the next complication.”
“Which is?”
“There are different levels of intelligence among those—let’s call them werewolves. From what I’ve learned, these creatures have been altered genetically. They’re experiments, Matthew.”
“Experiments? How can you be sure?”
“Because I know,” came a deep voice from behind them.
Matthew turned, his gaze fixed on a tall, muscular black man. Except for a long braid lashing across his broad shoulders with every step, the man wore his hair short. Large, dark eyes glowed mahogany in a sculpted face with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Thick, wolfish fangs glistened in contrast with the man’s neatly trimmed goatee. The jeans and sleeveless black T-shirt accentuated his athletic build to advantage. His every movement sang of animal grace. Matthew knew immediately by his scent that he was an Immaculate, but he carried another scent, something Matthew couldn’t identify.
“Judah.” Gareth stepped between Matthew and the other Immaculate. “This is Matthew—”
“I know who he is.” Judah’s gaze burned into Matthew’s. “I know what he stands for. I know he doesn’t belong here.”
“He’s as much a part of us as anyone.”
“Bullshit!” Judah’s voice echoed in the large room. He growled at Matthew. “You know his kind is responsible for Leah’s death.”
“Matthew had nothing to do with—”
“He discovered the cure!” Judah’s teeth ground, and his fists dripped blood as his claws bit into his skin. “That Network wouldn’t let us get to him because we’re from down here.”
“Judah’s wife was one of the few vampires to ever be infected by the poison that almost killed your brother,” Gareth explained. “When we learned of your discovery, we tried to get to you, but with the Network’s red tape, it was too late.”
Matthew’s brow furrowed. “I’m very sorry.”
‘“Save your phony sympathy, you son of a bitch.” Judah snarled, circling Matthew.
“If I had known—”
“You wouldn’t have cared!”
“That’s not true.”
Judah threw back his head and laughed without a trace of humor. He stopped suddenly and stepped up to Matthew so they were inches from one another.
Matthew wondered if Judah expected him to back off. The sun would sooner burn out.
“I should kill you right now and make you suffer like Leah did.”
“I said I was sorry about Leah, and I meant it. If you want to fight over it, fine.” Matthew’s incisors lengthened. He unsheathed his claws, his fists clenching and unclenching. “But I don’t see what it’ll solve.”
“Stop it! Both of you!” Gareth shoved the two apart, using all of his hybrid strength. The Immaculates scarcely moved. “You two want to kill each other. Good. Great. The only two Immaculates down here. We may as well let the wolves rule the city—why not the country!”
Judah growled deep in his throat and took a step backward.
“Judah knows a lot about the werewolves,” Gareth explained.
“Seeing that I am one.” Judah turned gloating eyes to Matthew. “Imagine that, Matt. I’ve got their strength and our strength combined.”
“It’s Matthew.”
“Down here, you’re Matt.”
Matthew growled, taking a step toward Judah, who raised his fists. Again Gareth stepped between them, his hands braced against Matthew’s shoulders. “I thought you hated violence?”
Matthew stopped, glancing from Gareth to Judah, who stared at him, gloating, beckoning him with a wave of his hand.
“This is insanity.” Matthew walked away.
“Damn right, Matt!” Judah bellowed. “In our world, everything is insane! You should have let me kill him now, Gareth, because there’s no way in hell he’s going to make it down here.”
Matthew tossed a vicious look over his shoulder, his eyes glowing. “Want to bet on it, Jude?”
“I have to take my shift. It’s better if we stay out of each other’s way.” Judah bared his teeth again before walking out the door.
Once Judah had gone, Matthew said, “What a winner.”
“Judah has powerful convictions. He’s a lot like you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Be careful with him. He’s an extremely skilled fighter, and he has no qualms about killing. He has a lot of experience.”
“So I’m supposed to be afraid of him?” Matthew raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think so.”
Gareth tilted his head to one side. “Then I suggest we start training. With your attitude, you’re going to need it.”
“My attitude? What do you mean, my attitude?”
Gareth only shook his head and smiled.
* * * * *
Matthew’s spear blocked a thrust from Gareth’s before the two stepped apart.
“Good,” Gareth said. “You don’t seem to have any trouble handling a weapon.”
“I have a long way to go to catch up with you.” Matthew wiped blood from his cheek where the tip of Gareth’s spear had cut him. The wound was already healing, and there would be no scar. They practiced with metal-tipped spears rather than platinum-tipped ones. For that Matthew was grateful. Blood also smeared his arms from light scratches, yet after a couple hours of practice, he had started to block more of Gareth’s blows.
Gareth and Matthew bowed to each other, an unfamiliar tradition to Matthew, but Gareth preferred to keep the polite customs of his old mentors. “Keeps us civilized,” he’d said.
“I have to get a couple of hours’ sleep.” Gareth lowered his weapon. “I have a watch tonight. Feel free to s
tay here and train. I know how energetic Immaculates are. I doubt you’re anywhere near tired.”
Matthew returned his spear to the wall, thinking how right Gareth was. His stamina hadn’t begun to wane in the slightest. Another long workout was exactly what he needed.
Gareth left Matthew alone. He spent the next couple of hours hitting the heavy bags and the cylinders, which he realized were much better suited to his strength. The thick, pliant metal accepted the full power of his kicks and punches so that the bags weren’t knocked off their chains. When he’d finished with the cylinders, he walked to a long pipe stretched across the ceiling and leapt into pull-ups. He wasn’t sure how long he trained, only that he stopped when his hands finally slipped. He landed in a crouch below the bars.
“There’s nothing quite as stunning as Immaculate strength.”
Matthew’s gaze flew across the room to Geneva.
He stood. “Hello.”
“Matthew.” She walked to the wall and removed the tonfas. Whirling them, she loosened her wrists. “Finished working out? Pity. I’d hoped you and I could spar.”
He smiled, amused.
“So you think you’d have the advantage? Choose a weapon.”
He shook his head.
“All right. No weapon.” Geneva walked to the center of the floor, tonfas poised to do battle. “It’s your pain.”
“I’m not sparring with you, Geneva.” He ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and headed for the corridor.
She stepped in front of him, the end of a tonfa nudging his abdomen.
He shoved the weapon away. “Have fun practicing.”
As he continued out of the room, she cracked him across his lower back.
“Hey!” He snarled, pressing a hand to his back. Though small, she wielded the weapon with power.
She giggled.
“Geneva.” Gareth suddenly appeared in the doorway.
She sighed, irritated. “I thought you were on guard duty.”
“Geneva, stop pestering Matthew. You know the fight wouldn’t be fair.”
“Thank you.” Matthew offered him a slight smile.
“I mean to you, Matthew. You think because she’s small she can’t handle herself?”
